Thursday morning June 16/98. Only the tram takes a longer time to go in & such trams, steam engine & 2, & some 3 very long cars, just like a street railway. Sydney folks are ashamed of their cars & what traffic there is, but Sydney is a very large busy city. I found out Mr. Lawson – he lives with his daughter, Mrs. Wood, only a few minutes from Mr. Whitfield’s, & I am going to night to spend awhile with them. Mrs. Manning of Melbourne had a letter at PO for me, & gave me Lawson‘s address. Mary Pile hadn’t it. She had written Mrs. Manning & told her I was coming. Mrs. Whitfield was very pleased to see the first familiar face from home since she left. She is very well & has 2 fine girls, Jean Phyllis & Maggie. She had a boy between but he died. They have a bundle of Berwick Advertisers, which interest me much. The latest came yesterday (dated May 6th. I see Black Cheswick is dead). I am going to look up Mrs. Stoddart‘s relations this forenoon & Mrs. Tolson tomorrow. I may call on McLean when in town also. “I viewed the land” yesterday evening when in town. It rained till 1 o’clock yesterday & I did not go out till about 3 & called on Lawsons en route, only stopping there ½ hour. They are all upset flitting[1] & it was near 5 when I got to the P. office, & there I got a disappointment: no letters by the mail arriving yesterday. Papers not available till this morning, & I will call & see if any for me. The “To be called for department” is a wonderful sight. I fancy letters can easily go astray here. They will just give out to any enquirer. [4:45] One I got from Mrs. Ellwood had been opened by a John Whitehead.  D. Whitehead[2] had been in Sydney during May & looked daily at PO for me, but he could not wait longer & has gone up to Bathurst, where he will be on the 20th. I saw a letter amongst the batch the attendant had in his hand for David, Lizzie’s writing, & David says in one of the letters waiting me that he saw there were some for me, so he knew I had not then arrived. By the way, I posted you a paper on Tuesday, & marked the places which notified the “Chingtu’s” arrival, & her passengers’ names, but there is another paragraph which refers to the Spaniard coming off & making enquiries as to the war. You will find it by looking.

[1] Scottish dialect: To move house or leave one’s home.

[2] David Whitehead